The U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,684 describes a rapidly soluble sweetener composition, its preparation process and improved dry beverages mixes employing it. The sweetener composition presents a low density and comprises a codried intimate mixture from 5 to 85 percent fructose, from 5 to 60 percent dextrinised starch and from 0 to 80 percent sucrose, all percentages being based on the dry weight of the composition.
The preparation process of said composition comprises:
preparing an aqueous solution comprising on dry solid bases the material indicated above, PA1 dispersing a gas into the solution, and PA1 drying the solution in the conditions effective to produce a porous product having the required density. PA1 preparing a suspension of fructan or mixture of fructans in an aqueous medium optionally in the presence of one or more elements chosen among the group consisting of maltodextrins, polydextrose, sucrose, polyols and high intensity sweeteners, PA1 dispersing an inert gas (such as CO.sub.2) into the suspension, and PA1 spray-drying the suspension under the conditions effective to produce a fructan composition having the required density (loose) equal or less than 0.35 g/ml, preferably from 0.08 to 0.30 g/ml, more preferably from 0.1 to 0.2 g/ml. PA1 treating the fructan composition present in a powdered form or a granular form, with the aid of water in the liquid phase, an aqueous solution or suspension of the fructan and/or one or more of the above defined other elements with one or more of said other elements in a powdered form or with water in the vapor phase, in an agglomeration chamber in the presence of hot air, and optionally of water vapor to form the agglomerated composition; and PA1 cooling and sieving the agglomerated composition in order to retain the product of suitable particle size, while recycling those composition particles which are too fine and those which are oversized.
The obtained sweetener compositions have a wide range of utility, including all the applications in dry food mixes for which sucrose is normally used.
Such compositions could be used in a dry mix for forming a beverage, particularly a carbonated beverage.
British patent GB-2,216,387 describes a sweetener composition made of holospheroids or parts of said spheroids of microcrystalline sucrose, generally bound to crystal sucrose, and which may contain one or more high intensity sweeteners.
These sweetener compositions are prepared by spray drying of sucrose syrup with simultaneous injection of inert pressurised gas and generally contacting sprayed syrup during the spray drying step and/or after completion of said step, with crystals of sucrose and preferably by incorporating a high intensity sweetener in the syrup or in the agglomeration step.
The obtained sweeteners are characterised by a low density and could be used to replace ordinary granulated sucrose on a spoon-for-spoon basis.
These compositions are also used as carbohydrate carrier of a suitable bulk density, which is free from dust, is not easily eroded and has the functional properties necessary for food applications, while maintaining some of the visual characteristics of crystalline sugar, particularly the bright appearance or sparkle.
However, these products maintain high contents of sucrose or high calorific saccharides which present several drawbacks for the consumer.
At present, although less energy rich food is required, too much sugar and not enough food fiber are still being consumed.
Therefore, a great need still exists for food compositions which are balanced by a partial or even total replacement of sugar by "sugar substitutes", offering the taste and the physical properties of the traditional food compositions.
Among these "sugar substitutes", natural products like fructans, especially inulin, levan and fructo-oligosaccharides, have been developed for the replacement of sugar in a variety of products. Fructans like inulin or fructo-oligosaccharides are well known for their health improving effects, especially their advantageous nutritional properties favoring the proliferation of the useful intestinal flora (bifidobacteria sp. in particular), the reduction of cholesterol level in the body and providing a good fiber effect. In addition, those fructans are low caloric.
It is also known from the European patent application EP-0692252 that inulin or fructo-oligosaccharides or their derivatives could be used in a functional food or a medicament for carcinogenesis prevention and/or cancer treatment.
Also known is a soluble chicory extract prepared by spray-drying of an extract from roasted chicory roots, which contains about 22.5% weight of fructo-oligosaccharides (manufactured and commercialised by Leroux, France), and is suitable for application in various food preparations.
Inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides are still more expensive than sucrose which limits their general use by the consumer. However, in order to improve the health of the consumer, a daily intake of only low doses of these fructans is necessary.
The Japanese patent application JP-A-3290197 discloses a complex composition comprising sucrose, lactose, lactosucrose and/or a cyclodextrin containing starch.